It is often desirable to provide access for handicapped persons between relatively movable structures. For example, a fixedly mounted pier structure and a movable platform structure, such as a floating dock, often require a provision for access between them by handicapped persons. For such purpose, the access providing means, such as a gangway, must conform to certain governmental regulations relating to handicapped access in that the access ramps during use thereof must have slopes no greater than a specified value and must have lengths no greater than a specified maximum value before being provided with a resting platform.
When such systems are designed, for example, to provide access between a fixed pier and a floating dock, tidal movements over a relatively large range often make the use of a simple, single ramp structure either impractical or impossible for such purpose since such a ramp structure could not in some cases be made to conform to the aforesaid slope and length requirements. Most structures proposed for such purpose are of the elevator type wherein electro-mechanical power driven platforms move between the relatively movable structures. Such techniques are relatively expensive and are subject to maintenance problems during use. It would be desirable to provide an access technique which does not require the use of power driven structures so that cost and maintenance problems can be considerably reduced.